The follow up to Antoni Maiovvi's eponymous release The Thorns Of Love is short, at six tracks or forty-minutes, particularly for an electronic album. But that just makes it feel that much sweeter.

The Thorns Of Love could be described as cosmic disco, but it's a bit more than that. Opener 'This Is The Beast' may well fit that bill, with shades of Jean Micheal Jarre and Tangerine Dream, but 'The Sigh From The Sky Was A Lie' feels as much post-punk as disco - a warm mix of Italo and New Order style synth and bass-work. And it works pretty damn well.

And the album gets only more varied as it progresses. 'Treason' is a solo piano piece and packs an emotional punch whilst forming a key centre point for the album. Finally things close on 'Horsehead Blues', a muted, dubby trip into Antoni Maiovvi's head with vocals that sound like Bowie going through an emotional breakdown, it's Joy Division forced to go on holiday to Ibiza, but not in the suddenly blissed-out sense that New Order achieved on Technique.

The contrast between tracks is stark, leaving the listener unsure of what to expect next, and as a result The Thorns Of Love is a brief yet engaging, emotional ride.

BP x

The Thorns Of Love is out now on Caravan, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD, MP3 and LP [affiliate links].